Trapping Beaver on National Forest

[Heath]

That’s awful big water to be native water. Aweful muddy and with a truck parked right beside it. I don’t know many places or actually any now that Trout unlimited ruined the last one I could drive anywhere near. But I’m a man of my word, post 2 more pictures and pm an address for me to mail you Benjamin.
I think my definition of native waters and yours are vastly different. You don’t think the state is dumping stockers in that stream if you are driving up to the water?

 

[GAEngineer]

Sorry for the long post - haven't kept up on the thread.

Why would anyone want to trap beaver on public land that aren’t causing issues anyway ?

I trap beavers on 1400 acres across a handful of properties and a handful of streams. Almost all are adjacent to public property. On only one property is the beaver trapping to mitigate flooding. On most of the others beavers are targets because of their impact on timber.

On one particular tract the beavers climb 200 yards up a very steep hill, past their supposedly preferred trees, to cut down long leaf pine. This is a simplified image, but I think you can get the point:



With that hopefully resolved to your satisfaction:

Why would anyone want to trap beaver on public land that aren’t causing issues anyway ?

"Why would anyone want to trap bobcats on public land that aren't causing issues anyway?"

"Why would anyone want to hunt bears on public land that aren't causing issues anyway?"

"Why would anyone want to hunt deer on public land that aren't causing issues anyway?"

I don't mean to be rude, but this is what you sound like to me. My opinion is that this attitude is unacceptable in our community, there are so few of us to begin with. If there is a management or ethical case to be made, then that's one thing - but if it just ain't your cup of tea I don't see why you would give aid to the anti-hunting/anti-trapping crowd.

Great reasons , I didn’t think of any of that . I guess I don’t see them causing any problems as long as they aren’t damaging someone’s pond or property .

And I love a good beaver pond for all types of reasons . Actually them and bobcats are 2 of the coolest critters in the woods to me .

We agree on that point. I really do like beavers.

I mean, I don’t care if anyone wants to trap beavers but I’ve never seen all these beavers girdling Hemlocks.

Can't say that anymore.

Could you post a picture now or ever of a beaver killed Hemlock in a Native trout stream.

I can post pictures like this all day long.

Not likely, there isn’t but a few Native trout water streams left here in North Georgia and Beaver have been far removed from anywhere near them.
Please don’t post a picture of your favorite soap head hole.

No. Beaver haven't been far removed from anywhere in Georgia.

I've seen a few here on native waters. Beavers don't much like hemlocks, though, and plus, the wooley adelgids have already killed 90% of the hemlocks.

Beavers will cut down hemlocks, and there are not as many mature healthy hemlocks as I would like. The ones that are healthy and being treated are not likely to succumb to the wooly adelgid - but the beavers will kill them quick.

I’ll give anyone $100 bill if they can post 3 beaver killed Hemlocks in North Georgia native trout streams.

That’s awful big water to be native water. Aweful muddy and with a truck parked right beside it. I don’t know many places or actually any now that Trout unlimited ruined the last one I could drive anywhere near. But I’m a man of my word, post 2 more pictures and pm an address for me to mail you Benjamin.

I thought it was 3 trees killed, not 3 photos?

I appreciate you keeping your word, but I don't want the money - and I'm not sure I satisfied your conditions. If you have to send the money somewhere I'm sure you have a favorite charity or non profit who could use it.

I think my definition of native waters and yours are vastly different. You don’t think the state is dumping stockers in that stream if you are driving up to the water?

I am sure it is. Sounds like you mean creeks where native trout can be caught today. I just use DNRs trout water map, whether there are native trout there now or not. Tell me what streams you consider to be native water and if this isn't one of them I'll get you photos of beaver killed hemlocks on another stream - as a matter of honor and education.

Though it hardly matters to me, I'm not hung up on the "native waters" part - my concern is the trees.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Sorry for the long post - haven't kept up on the thread.



I trap beavers on 1400 acres across a handful of properties and a handful of streams. Almost all are adjacent to public property. On only one property is the beaver trapping to mitigate flooding. On most of the others beavers are targets because of their impact on timber.

On one particular tract the beavers climb 200 yards up a very steep hill, past their supposedly preferred trees, to cut down long leaf pine. This is a simplified image, but I think you can get the point:

View attachment 1096760

With that hopefully resolved to your satisfaction:



"Why would anyone want to trap bobcats on public land that aren't causing issues anyway?"

"Why would anyone want to hunt bears on public land that aren't causing issues anyway?"

"Why would anyone want to hunt deer on public land that aren't causing issues anyway?"

I don't mean to be rude, but this is what you sound like to me. My opinion is that this attitude is unacceptable in our community, there are so few of us to begin with. If there is a management or ethical case to be made, then that's one thing - but if it just ain't your cup of tea I don't see why you would give aid to the anti-hunting/anti-trapping crowd.



View attachment 1096759



We agree on that point. I really do like beavers.




Can't say that anymore.



I can post pictures like this all day long.

View attachment 1096761



No. Beaver haven't been far removed from anywhere in Georgia.



Beavers will cut down hemlocks, and there are not as many mature healthy hemlocks as I would like. The ones that are healthy and being treated are not likely to succumb to the wooly adelgid - but the beavers will kill them quick.






I thought it was 3 trees killed, not 3 photos?

I appreciate you keeping your word, but I don't want the money - and I'm not sure I satisfied your conditions. If you have to send the money somewhere I'm sure you have a favorite charity or non profit who could use it.

View attachment 1096748
View attachment 1096749
View attachment 1096750





I am sure it is. Sounds like you mean creeks where native trout can be caught today. I just use DNRs trout water map, whether there are native trout there now or not. Tell me what streams you consider to be native water and if this isn't one of them I'll get you photos of beaver killed hemlocks on another stream - as a matter of honor and education.

Though it hardly matters to me, I'm not hung up on the "native waters" part - my concern is the trees.

My definition of native trout waters is creeks where native southern Appalachian brook trout live. They are the only native trout here.

Then you have wild trout waters, which are inhabited by stream-born non-native rainbows and /or browns.

Then, hatchery-supported put-and-take waters, which are usually low quality water already, and are stocked with non-native trout by the state.

And I still very seriously doubt if beavers cutting a few trees is having any major impact on trout streams. They evolved here together. One real estate developer will do more damage than a million beavers.

 

[sleepr71]

I didn’t think Beavers discriminated? Before we bought our place on Lake Sinclair…it looks like one had a field day on some big Sweetgums & Pines near the lake shore..?

 

[Doug B.]

My definition of native trout waters is creeks where native southern Appalachian brook trout live. They are the only native trout here.

Then you have wild trout waters, which are inhabited by stream-born non-native rainbows and /or browns.

Then, hatchery-supported put-and-take waters, which are usually low quality water already, and are stocked with non-native trout by the state.

And I still very seriously doubt if beavers cutting a few trees is having any major impact on trout streams. They evolved here together. One real estate developer will do more damage than a million beavers.

Truth! I would much rather wade through a beaver swamp than a sub-division!

 

[GAEngineer]

My definition of native trout waters is creeks where native southern Appalachian brook trout live. They are the only native trout here.

Does that mean you can find them there now, or does this include waters where they occured in the past?

And I still very seriously doubt if beavers cutting a few trees is having any major impact on trout streams. They evolved here together. One real estate developer will do more damage than a million beavers.

If you're responding to me, we are talking past each other. My "sphere of influence" is very small, but I choose to use some of my energy to trap beavers where there are mature hemlocks - Because there are so few mature hemlocks. The trout aren't a factor for me at this time.

Truth! I would much rather wade through a beaver swamp than a sub-division!

If it were legal to trap developers I might consider it...

 

[Doug B.]

Does that mean you can find them there now, or does this include waters where they occured in the past?




If you're responding to me, we are talking past each other. My "sphere of influence" is very small, but I choose to use some of my energy to trap beavers where there are mature hemlocks - Because there are so few mature hemlocks. The trout aren't a factor for me at this time.



If it were legal to trap developers I might consider it...

Honestly if I knew where beavers were cutting hemlocks on public land at trout streams I would go try to catch them. I really don't want to lose either species. My main concern right now though is the five hemlocks in my yard that have wooly aldegids on them now. I have already treated them twice and I guess it is time to treat them again.

 

[Heath]

No sweat. What I meant was you would be hard pressed to find a beaver killed Hemlock on Native trout waters. I still stand by that statement. Those pictures are miles downstream of any native water regardless of where those streams are. Never seen a beaver pond or sign of a beaver in what I consider native water. I’d be curious as to how many streams members on here are calling native. I don’t know of but a handful of places where Specks are isolated and still native where they haven’t been reintroduced.
I don’t put much faith in the research that I have been involved in with universities and the state. They always had a motive and when the evidence didn’t support their theory they didn’t publish the contradictory information for others to see. I doubt the Hemlock is having much of an impact on Trout as the canopy is still closed and the amount of light change that directly penetrates the water enough to cause a change is unmeasurable. I say that because their study proved it. But, “Save the Hemlock”! I was involved in such a study once before and it was nonsense. Why is the Hemlock more valuable than the beaver? An argument can be made that one beaver does far more for all wildlife than ten Hemlock’s.
In no way am I against you killing beavers or saving Hemlocks. I’ve helped a few out of this world myself but I am genuinely curious about you now.

 

[antharper]

Good info in here , thanks ! For me I’ll continue to let beavers live unless they are causing serious problems. And besides flooding I don’t see the problem . And I’d rather have a nice beaver pond than a few trees anyway . They destroyed about 10ac making this pond . After all the trees died we decided to help them build a real dam . No telling how many wood ducks call this place home . Pretty good fishing also

 

[antharper]

Good info in here , thanks ! For me I’ll continue to let beavers live unless they are causing serious problems. And besides flooding I don’t see the problem . And I’d rather have a nice beaver pond than a few trees anyway . They destroyed about 10ac making this pond . After all the trees died we decided to help them build a real dam . No telling how many wood ducks call this place home . Pretty good fishing also View attachment 1096858

15 years ago this was a spring you could jump across !

 

[Lukikus2]

Most of GAengineer post of tree damage is from flood damage.

Flame away

 

[buckpasser]

I hate to kill the beavers at work. They sometimes leave me little choice. This year I’m delighted that they built their dam right in the middle of our floodable duck pond instead of the easier choice of clogging up the box. I’m gonna let them have a big time and watch as their little beaver minds are blown when I flood the whole thing.

 

[GAEngineer]

Most of GAengineer post of tree damage is from flood damage.

Flame away

That's fair criticism. I was really just trying to show clear beaver damage, some more significant than others, on a tree species that I was being told didn't exist.

 

[Lukikus2]

That's fair criticism. I was really just trying to show clear beaver damage, some more significant than others, on a tree species that I was being told didn't exist.

And it does as you have shown. And also shown is clear evidence of beaver marks on those trees. Would love to walk those creeks.

 

[Heath]

That's fair criticism. I was really just trying to show clear beaver damage, some more significant than others, on a tree species that I was being told didn't exist.

Nobody said it didn’t exist, we said you would be hard pressed to find a beaver in Native trout water in North Georgia. The fact that you don’t know what native waters are or look like tells me you don’t really understand your own argument. I specifically said no soap head holes for a reason. It was because I knew someone would post a picture of beaver sign on a creek because they don’t know what native trout waters are. Someone always tries to have a gotcha moment but those of us who know don’t ask questions we don’t already know the answer to. Have a good one Engineer!

 

[Zoozoo400]

Y'all know of any problem beaver in middle GA? I'm itchin to catch some this year